Cleveland city worker at center of moonlight raid tried to resign in 2015

Updated December 12, 2017 at 11:26 AM;Posted December 11, 2017 at 7:19 PM

Cleveland City Hall on Monday released the personnel file of Khalil Ewais, the mid-level engineering and construction manager who was at the center of last week's late-night raid.(Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The mid-level Cleveland worker at the center of Wednesday's moonlight raid at City Hall tried to resign in 2015, according to his personnel file.

Engineering and construction manager Khalil Ewais submitted a letter of resignation from the Mayor's Office of Capital Projects in June 2015, arguing that he was underpaid and that his job duties were far beyond those listed when he was hired for the job in 2011, records show.

"It is my strong opinion that with great responsibilities, employees need to be recognized," he wrote. "My request for consideration for a salary adjustment based on my proven accomplishments and responsibilities have not been addressed."

Ewais later rescinded his resignation after his bosses, Richard Switalski and Matthew Spronz, promised to hire four new construction inspectors and consider restructuring the office. Spronz, who is the director of the Capital Projects Office, also said he held a "discussion" with Mayor Frank Jackson and would keep pushing for Ewais to get a raise, according to letters Ewais wrote.

The letters were contained in Ewais's personnel file, a copy of which the City of Cleveland released to cleveland.com about 5 p.m. Monday.

Agents with the FBI, IRS and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entered city hall about 9 p.m. Wednesday and seized records relating to Ewais's side business, Pioneer Engineering; projects at addresses on Lorain, Carnegie and Storer avenues; and the Geauga County-based paving company Burton Scot Contractors, according to an evidence log federal agents left behind after the search.

Authorities have not disclosed the reason for the raid, citing an ongoing investigation that includes court records filed under seal in U.S. District Court.

Ewais's personnel file shows the 42-year-old graduated from John Adams High School in Cleveland and was hired in 2006. He was promoted in 2008 and then again to his current position in 2011.

Ewais filled out a questionnaire in January 2017 as part of an internal audit and said he did not do business with the City of Cleveland, own a business that does business with the city or have an economic or financial interest in any contract, subcontract or other transaction involving the city.

He earlier said work on Pioneer would not interfere with his city business. He promised he would work for the company only on weekends or take furloughs for any meetings he appeared at on behalf of the company during work hours.

Ewais worked for the city from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a half-hour lunch, four days a week, his file shows. He worked a half-day on Friday for religious purposes, records say.

Cleveland City Planning Commission meeting agendas earlier this year showed that Ewais was set to appear before the commission to ask for the approval for his company, Pioneer Engineering, to pave two parking lots at properties owned by Assad's Bakery on Lorain Avenue.

Federal agents seized records related to the same addresses as those two parking lots, records say.

Records also say Ewais received a written warning in 2014 after he took too many sick hours in a three-month period. Ewais used 32 hours of sick time in three months, two more than the 30-hour limit for any three-month period.

Burton Scot, which according to available city records has been awarded at least $7.4 million in city paving contracts in the past three years, released a statement Monday evening defending the contracts they've been awarded.

"We don't know what investigators were looking for when agents executed a search warrant at City Hall last week, but we are glad to answer any of their questions," the company said in a statement.